The use of a rod-like device which has a handle mounted on its upper free end and by means of which a floor-treating unit is manoeuvred when wishing to move and steer said unit over a floor surface is previously known to the art, in various forms. As an example of the state of the prior art, reference is made to the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,828 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,401,400, of which the construction disclosed in the first mentioned patent specification is thought to lie closest to the present invention. This prior publication teaches a rod-like flexible device provided with an upper handgrip which is pivotally mounted in relation to the floor-treating unit on a horizontal, bottom axle such as to enable the unit to be rotated horizontally and steered by rotating and tilting the rod-like device when moving said unit over the floor for the purpose of treating said floor.
The object of the present invention is to provide means which will enable a floor-treating unit of the kind shown in principle in FIG. 6 of the International Patent Application No. PCT/SE90/00133 to be manoeuvred in a simple fashion, although it will be understood that the invention is not limited to this application since the principle features of the invention can be applied with other units than floor-treating units.
With regard to the inventive linkage system, reference is made to the present state of the art and also to the disclosures made in the International Patent Application No. PCT/US88/01391.